Former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor and convicted serial sexual predator Larry Nassar was memorably evsicerated in the past for blaming victims, but a newly-released email shows that Nassar blamed the media for his demise.
According to MLive, he frantically emailed his MSU boss Dr. William Strampel, the dean of osteopathic medicine, in Sept. 2016 after Rachael Denhollander reported Nassar to the police and accused him of molesting her when she was 15. Two other women also told the Indianapolis Star they were sexually abused.
Nassar sent multiple emails to Strampel. In one of them, he blamed the media.
“The media has killed me,” he said.
In another one, Nassar responded to an interview request from an Indianapolis Star reporter by forwarding it to Strampel and asking for advice.
“I spoke to my attorney and he said I should talk to the reporter to prevent the story from being one-sided so that I can deny any wrong doing,” he said. “I am asking for legal assistance from MSU as to how to handle this. Should I work through my own attorney or through MSU or both? I am so sorry about this mess.”
Interestingly, Strampel replied by suggesting Nassar shouldn’t “blame the victim” during an interview and should emphasize medical treatments were “science-based.” Strampel also said, “I am on your side,” and “I do wish you luck.”
On Sept. 15, he emailed Strampel about the “many messages of support” he received.
After the Indianapolis Star published a story, Nassar implicitly compared himself to Jesus Christ when he said he was emotionally preparing himself for “Crucifixion.”
“I am trying to take advantage of this time before the ‘Me Toos’ come out in the media and the second media blitz occurs,” he said. [T]he Indy Star will make their next Crucifixion of me on Monday. That is what I am emotionally prepared for.”
In another email, Nassar expressed disbelief over the accusations against him.
“I knew the media blitz was going to create more people to call in with accusations about me but this is absurb (sic),” he said. “I have not been charged with any crime. I don’t understand why this is happening. This is not right. …. This is not right.”
It was at this point Strampel’s “I am on your side” approach began to wane.
“There seems to have been more people who have come forward,” he said. Nassar then said the media “killed” him.
Nassar was subsequently fired on Sept. 16.
At Nassar’s sentencing in Jan. 2018, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina made a point to read some but not all of a letter Nassar wrote to illustrate that his apology was empty.
Among Nassar’s words which she read aloud were “Hell hath not fury like a woman scorned” and blame of the media.
“I was a good doctor because my treatments worked and those patients that are now speaking out were the same ones that praised and came back over and over and referred family and friends to see me. The media convinced them that everything I did was wrong and bad. They feel I broke their trust. Hell hath not fury like a woman scorned. It is just a complete nightmare,” she quoted him.
“The stories that are being fabricated to sensationalize this than the AG would only accept my plea if I said what I did was not medical and was for my own pleasure. They forced me to say that or they were going to trial and not accepting the plea,” he added. “I wanted to plea no contest, but the AG refused that. I was so manipulated by the AG and now Aquilina. And all I wanted was to minimize the stress like I wrote earlier.”
Nassar will be in prison until the day he dies. As for Michigan State University, it reached a $500 million settlement with more than 300 victims who came forward with allegations against Nassar.
[Image via Scott Olson/Getty Images]
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